Q1, S03 The Baptism of Jesus

Quarter 1, Session 3: The Baptism of Jesus

DO YOU NEED GOD’S POWER?

Passages

Mark 1:9–11

John 1:29–34

Concept

This session falls under Jesus’ first question: Do you need me? Jesus began his ministry by being baptized. In this act, Jesus identifies with the people he came to save (Israel and us) by taking part in the symbol of repentance in preparation for what God would do. But Jesus’ baptism went beyond this symbol of repentance. At Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit of God also descended, which underscores the new life we receive through Jesus and the Spirit.

Key Question

Have you experienced the empowering and guiding of the Holy Spirit in your life? How so? What difference does this make?

The Leveling Tool

Do you see our Leveling tool being played out in Mark 1:9–11 and John 1:29–34? With whom? How so?

The Baptism of Jesus

Every parent has experienced what it’s like to be completely powerless. It doesn’t matter how high your aspirations are for your child or how flawless your plan for them, you are going to encounter a situation in which you cannot do what needs doing. This could be anything from a toddler who refuses to obey all the way to a grown child who chooses to stray from the path you set as a parent. In these moments, you realize how much of what you deeply long for in life is outside of your control. This is, of course, not limited to parenting. We encounter these situations in many areas of life: in our jobs, relationships, health, and on and on.

These experiences are awful because we feel an intense desire for something we are completely powerless to achieve. Something or someone outside of ourselves must act if anything will happen. As we consider the baptism of Jesus, not only do we see this concept presented, but we also find the true solution to our own powerlessness.

Last week we watched John the Baptist step onto the scene and prepare Israel for the coming Messiah (“Christ”) by calling for a baptism that symbolized repentance. This week we will see Jesus walk onto this same set: John is baptizing as Jesus approaches and asks to be baptized as well. As you read Mark 1:9–11 and John 1:29–34, try to watch the scene unfold in your mind’s eye. What would it have been like to watch this? How would you have responded? What does it all say about Jesus?

1.     Read Mark 1:9–11 and John 1:29–34. Right off the bat, what strikes you about this event? What do you find interesting or challenging or confusing?

John’s Baptism of Repentance

As we begin reading the Gospels, it makes sense that the people of Israel would be baptized. After all, Israel as a nation had been sent into exile because of their rejection of God. At this point in history, they’re still waiting for God to return to them, to send them a Messiah, someone who would lead them in returning to Yahweh and once again experiencing his blessing and presence.

But it may be a bit startling that Jesus began his ministry by approaching John to receive baptism. After all, Jesus is here to set the people of Israel free. He came as a savior, not a sinner. So it’s significant that Jesus identified in this way with the people he came to save. Take some time to reflect on this. What are the implications of Jesus being baptized in this setting?

2.     If the Israelites were being baptized as a symbol of repentance to prepare for what God was about to do, why do you think Jesus was baptized before beginning his ministry?

Jesus’ Baptism with the Spirit

Already at this early stage in the Gospels, we come across an instance where all three members of the Trinity are present: Jesus is physically present, the Father speaks, and the Spirit descends as a dove. This underscores the event as significant. And with this appearance of the Holy Spirit, we see that there is a difference between Jesus’ baptism and what was happening with John.

As people came out to be baptized by John prior to this point, John had explained the difference to the crowd: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt. 3:11, Luke 3:16). John’s baptism was all about repentance, preparation. Jesus’ baptism still carries the connotation of repentance, yes, but the new element was the Spirit of God: not water, but fire. Not simply flesh, but Spirit.

3.     Explain the major difference that comes with being baptized by the Holy Spirit.

A New Source of Life

Jesus’ baptism, then, was not just about the leaving behind of the old person, but the gift of new life. As we will see, the Spirit empowers, brings transformation, brings guidance. He leads and moves and works in all the ways in which we are impotent. If you’ve ever tried to do the kinds of things God commands in your own strength, you know how impossible it is, how frustrated you feel. This is precisely where Israel found itself. For generations that had been trying to be God’s people in the world, yet they were attempting this in their own strength. John’s Baptism of repentance led them to acknowledge how far short they had fallen, how powerless they were to enact the change that was needed. They were a dead tree, they needed new life. And so it is with us: withered and dead, we need a breathe of new life. This is the very thing we find with the Spirit of God.

4.     Have you experienced the frustration of trying in your own strength to be either (a) who you want to be, or more significantly, (b) who God wants you to be? What is this like?

5.     Have you experienced the transformation and new life that comes through the Spirit of God? How so? What difference does this make?

God’s Beloved Son

The visible descent of the Spirit and the voice of the Father alert us to the reality that Jesus will not be acting alone in his ministry. He did not come to earth purely of his own accord. He enters the human scene with the authority and approval of the Father and with the power of the Spirit. As he prepares to lead Israel into everything Yahweh wants for them, Jesus stands in solidarity with his fellow men (the descendants of Adam and of Noah) and fellow Israelites (the descendants of Abraham). By enacting repentance and preparation alongside the rest of Israel, Jesus was leading his people in the pursuit of God in the midst of a broken world. And when he emerged from the water, the Father affirmed his pleasure in the Son, and the Spirit visibly descended to the guiding and empowering relationship he would maintain with Jesus throughout his life.

As you ponder this event in the life of Jesus, once again try to put yourself on the scene. If this Jesus were to emerge from the water and then call you to follow him, how would you interpret it? What difference does it make?

6.     You stand here today with the invitation to follow this Jesus. What do you think it means to follow this Jesus who calls us into baptism, not just of water, but also the Spirit?

7.     Spend some time in prayer. Thank God for sending the Son in whom he delights. Pray that you would be able to follow Jesus in the steps of preparation he took. Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask Jesus to continue to reveal himself to you as you sit as his feet.

Key Question

Have you experienced the empowering and guiding of the Holy Spirit in your life? How so? What difference does this make?